Distractions.
When we should be watching the road, we fumble for our cell phone. When we should be watching a pot on the stove, we move into the other room to see something on television. When we should be listening to our spouse or child, we're answering a text.
Consequences? A wreck, the water boils over, a huge argument breaks out, or our children don't come around as often when they need to talk, or much worse.
If our attention turns away from what is most important for even a short time, tragedy can strike.
I'm just getting started with a new Bible study, Gideon, written by Priscilla Shirer. Once again, the Israelites have been distracted and their hearts are not focused on God.
Their distraction? Sin. Specifically, idol worship and prostituting their hearts.
God has called His people to worship Him and Him alone. He desires their heart's full attention. He has given instructions on when and how to conquer the enemies of His people. His people have heard but they have not obeyed - they're distracted.
Consequences? Struggles and suffering as the enemy is allowed back on the scene.
The consequences of even partial obedience can be catastrophic; destruction of an individual, a family, even a generation. God is serious when He lays out specific instructions, and He expects us to obey.
So why do we, today, not follow through and allow distractions to lure us away from what's most important - our love for God?
Our hearts are lured away by faux satisfactions; selfish desires that require just a moment of immediate pleasure. When we are focused on self, we sin.
God has our best interest at heart just like He has always had the best interest of the Israelites at heart.
It was in their best interest to completely wipe out the enemy. Gideon's story is told in the book of Judges, chapters 6-8. The people of God were given specific instructions from the Lord to completely wipe out the enemy, the Midianites. Instead, they chose to edit the instructions by keeping some of the women and children, and the spoil from the camp for their own pleasure. In doing so, they were setting themselves up for another battle or war. If they had destroyed everything of the enemy's the first time, then the enemy could not have rebuilt. There wouldn't be any of the enemy left to rebuild.
But because of their partial obedience, the enemy continues to come back and reek havoc on the children of Israel.
Time, after time, after time, God's people were distracted causing a portion of their hearts to slip away and attach to something other than Yahweh - their Protector, Provider, Defender, Healer, ever present Help. Prostituting themselves with the Baals (foreign gods, idols), they chose to turn and go their own way, forgetting the LORD, their God, and doing evil in His sight.
We, the Church, God's people, are no different today. We've turned to our own ways but still claim to love God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds. We obey the parts of God's instruction that we want to and change the parts or ignore what we don't like. We put on airs of spirituality to impress our co-workers, neighbors, family and friends, and even people in the church.
Well... guess what. God is not fooled and neither are they.
I believe the Church's main distraction is the same as the Israelites. We're not dealing with our own personal sin. As we disobey, we're toying with the Enemy and allowing him back into the camp. We think no one is watching while we sweep things under the rug. You know. "Out of sight, out of mind." "What they don't know won't hurt them." We think if we just ignore it then it won't affect anybody else.
Wrong! Nothing could be further from the truth.
My personal sin can produce serious consequences not only in my life, but in my family, and cripple the effectiveness of the Church. Sin produces a domino effect if not dealt with immediately. My sin can even affect the next generation and the next. That's how serious it is. The distractions have got to go or we will continue to lose the battle for the hearts of those that come after us.
All of the reasons given as to why the Church is not thriving today, in my opinion, seem to dismiss this diagnosis. Personal sin is the culprit of why we are not being effective today in our local bodies of Christ. We've become distracted with the things we've given our hearts to other than Jesus.
Until Christians get serious with a very serious God about personal sin, and stop tweaking His instructions to produce selfish outcomes, then we will continue the downward spiral of our partial obedience, experience severe consequences, and continue to be ineffective for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
So what do we do? We put our eyes back on what is most important; our love relationship with Jesus Christ.
Turning the tide begins with me!
God is calling for His people to repent, return and be restored to a right relationship with Him.
How? By asking Christ to examine our hearts; giving Him the freedom to shine His search light deep under the surface and illuminating any sin buried there.
An examination passage to pray through is Psalm 51. But we cannot just flippantly pray and ignore what Christ brings to light. We have to repent of it and let Christ remove it less it settles again to the bottom, takes root, and affects everything we seek to do for Christ.
Once we deal with our own sin, THEN we can move forward for Christ. When sin creeps back in, deal with it immediately. Don't wait for the consequences to show up.
I don't want to be the one to hold the Church back. I want to be the one to help move it forward in the name of Jesus Christ!
Want to see God's people thrive again? Want to make a difference in this world for Christ? Want to live with passion like you've never lived before? I know I do.
And we're just getting started! Stay tuned!
My Pleasure,
Melanie
When we should be watching the road, we fumble for our cell phone. When we should be watching a pot on the stove, we move into the other room to see something on television. When we should be listening to our spouse or child, we're answering a text.
Consequences? A wreck, the water boils over, a huge argument breaks out, or our children don't come around as often when they need to talk, or much worse.
If our attention turns away from what is most important for even a short time, tragedy can strike.
I'm just getting started with a new Bible study, Gideon, written by Priscilla Shirer. Once again, the Israelites have been distracted and their hearts are not focused on God.
Their distraction? Sin. Specifically, idol worship and prostituting their hearts.
God has called His people to worship Him and Him alone. He desires their heart's full attention. He has given instructions on when and how to conquer the enemies of His people. His people have heard but they have not obeyed - they're distracted.
Consequences? Struggles and suffering as the enemy is allowed back on the scene.
The consequences of even partial obedience can be catastrophic; destruction of an individual, a family, even a generation. God is serious when He lays out specific instructions, and He expects us to obey.
So why do we, today, not follow through and allow distractions to lure us away from what's most important - our love for God?
Our hearts are lured away by faux satisfactions; selfish desires that require just a moment of immediate pleasure. When we are focused on self, we sin.
God has our best interest at heart just like He has always had the best interest of the Israelites at heart.
It was in their best interest to completely wipe out the enemy. Gideon's story is told in the book of Judges, chapters 6-8. The people of God were given specific instructions from the Lord to completely wipe out the enemy, the Midianites. Instead, they chose to edit the instructions by keeping some of the women and children, and the spoil from the camp for their own pleasure. In doing so, they were setting themselves up for another battle or war. If they had destroyed everything of the enemy's the first time, then the enemy could not have rebuilt. There wouldn't be any of the enemy left to rebuild.
But because of their partial obedience, the enemy continues to come back and reek havoc on the children of Israel.
Time, after time, after time, God's people were distracted causing a portion of their hearts to slip away and attach to something other than Yahweh - their Protector, Provider, Defender, Healer, ever present Help. Prostituting themselves with the Baals (foreign gods, idols), they chose to turn and go their own way, forgetting the LORD, their God, and doing evil in His sight.
We, the Church, God's people, are no different today. We've turned to our own ways but still claim to love God with all of our hearts, souls, and minds. We obey the parts of God's instruction that we want to and change the parts or ignore what we don't like. We put on airs of spirituality to impress our co-workers, neighbors, family and friends, and even people in the church.
Well... guess what. God is not fooled and neither are they.
I believe the Church's main distraction is the same as the Israelites. We're not dealing with our own personal sin. As we disobey, we're toying with the Enemy and allowing him back into the camp. We think no one is watching while we sweep things under the rug. You know. "Out of sight, out of mind." "What they don't know won't hurt them." We think if we just ignore it then it won't affect anybody else.
Wrong! Nothing could be further from the truth.
My personal sin can produce serious consequences not only in my life, but in my family, and cripple the effectiveness of the Church. Sin produces a domino effect if not dealt with immediately. My sin can even affect the next generation and the next. That's how serious it is. The distractions have got to go or we will continue to lose the battle for the hearts of those that come after us.
All of the reasons given as to why the Church is not thriving today, in my opinion, seem to dismiss this diagnosis. Personal sin is the culprit of why we are not being effective today in our local bodies of Christ. We've become distracted with the things we've given our hearts to other than Jesus.
Until Christians get serious with a very serious God about personal sin, and stop tweaking His instructions to produce selfish outcomes, then we will continue the downward spiral of our partial obedience, experience severe consequences, and continue to be ineffective for the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.
So what do we do? We put our eyes back on what is most important; our love relationship with Jesus Christ.
Turning the tide begins with me!
God is calling for His people to repent, return and be restored to a right relationship with Him.
How? By asking Christ to examine our hearts; giving Him the freedom to shine His search light deep under the surface and illuminating any sin buried there.
An examination passage to pray through is Psalm 51. But we cannot just flippantly pray and ignore what Christ brings to light. We have to repent of it and let Christ remove it less it settles again to the bottom, takes root, and affects everything we seek to do for Christ.
Once we deal with our own sin, THEN we can move forward for Christ. When sin creeps back in, deal with it immediately. Don't wait for the consequences to show up.
I don't want to be the one to hold the Church back. I want to be the one to help move it forward in the name of Jesus Christ!
Want to see God's people thrive again? Want to make a difference in this world for Christ? Want to live with passion like you've never lived before? I know I do.
And we're just getting started! Stay tuned!
My Pleasure,
Melanie
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